The 'Modern Love' Essay That Broke Everyone's Heart Is Possibly Coming To The Big Screen

Since the New York Times' 'Modern Love' column started in 2004, readers have smiled, laughed, and wept over countless stories of love and loss — but few have struck as deep as the heartbreaking essay 'You May Want To Marry My Husband.' The beloved 'Modern Love' essay is now becoming a movie — with major Hollywood studiosin a bidding war over the rights. Amy Krouse Rosenthal's love letter to her husband, written in her final stages of terminal ovarian cancer, was a deeply personal essay — but it also touched upon so many powerful and universal emotions surrounding grief and goodbyes, so it's hardly surprising that so many people are fighting to tell this story.

In the essay 'You May Want To Marry My Husband,' children's author Amy Krouse Rosenthal expressed her wish that her husband Jason move on and start a new love story, writing a dating profile for him with all the reasons why she fell in love with him. The beautiful essay instantly captured the hearts of readers, who adored Amy and Jason's love story. Sadly, Rosenthal passed away in March, leaving behind her a legacy of gorgeous children's books that, one reviewer wrote in the New York Times, "radiate fun the way tulips radiate spring."

Now, her final story is making its way to the big screen. 'You May Want To Marry My Husband' is one of many 'Modern Love' columns that have been optioned by Hollywood, but so far, none of them have become films. With so many big Hollywood studios fighting over the rights to Rosenthal's raw and heartbreaking story, however, it seems very likely that this one will reach audiences before long — and spread to even more people Rosenthal's powerful message of love.